A topnotch WordPress.com site

Main menu

Category Archives: Social Issues

So, he won. This bigot speaking son of immigrants who chooses to think in the abstract and to degrade his opponents by calling them names. Basically, he made a mockery of the institution we call “The American Presidency.”

I’m an American. I, unfortunately, decided that he was the lesser of two evils. But the state I live in said it was going to be blue instead of red. A very expected outcome. The thing is, this whole thing was so skewed! How did the Democrats think that Hillary Clinton could possibly run against Trump?!?! Bernie Sanders would have assured them of the White House for 8 more years! But no!!!! They gave us the worst candidate of all! So, now we have the equivalent of the Philippines’ President once before…. what’s his name?!?! Estrada! That actor who knew nothing of politics and even less of integrity! It took what?!?! Two or so presidents before the country is where it is today! Then, they voted in Duterte…

Well, now, at least, when Duterte calls President Trump a “sun above bits”, Trump can really get down and go ghetto on that “sonafabitch”.

However, all that aside… The working poor, after the election, still had to wake up, go to work and put in the hours so we can pay the taxes that will provide for all of the existing former Presidents and this incoming President elect.

And we still have to live in the same country we slept in the night before, except things have changed a bit. The followers of Mr. Trump now think they are above the law, that somehow the laws no longer apply to them. Apparently, common courtesy also is gone from these people. Now it is okay to openly sneer at anyone with chinky eyes, dark skins, and openly harass those of a different religion and obviously originated from the Middle East instead of Europe. And this has made people fear. Quite a lot are now thinking about moving to Canada. So many of you, in fact, that the Canadian Immigration website crashed! Seriously?!?!

First, those who are immigrants and became naturalized citizens, if you want to go back to the hellhole you escaped from in the first place… Go right on ahead!!!! Please feel free to do that! I hope you bring back the American ideals that somehow permeates into the marrow of anyone who has lived here for even a short while. I hope you will want to work within that country of yours and try to make it almost or even better than the America you knew. And leave my country because obviously, you never considered this land your land. Nor did you embrace its lofty ideals and its people.

And to the rest of you… Here is where I stand. I am an immigrant. Naturalized as a young child. Still, I know no other home, but here. I am an American and I freely choose this country as my own. I willingly choose to uphold its lofty ideals and its highest standards. I will fight to remain here and to protect this country. And I suspect that there are many who feel like I do.

In the face of such uncertain times and uncertain circumstances, I believe in the integral goodness of the American people. I believe that a majority of you will not look at the color of my skin or the religion I chose or the sexual orientation I happen to be born in. I believe that most of you would stand up for the rights of others as well as your own. I believe in the honor of the majority of Americans. You want to know why? Most are my friends, my family, my co-workers, my church members, my association members, my club members.

Trump is right, America! It’s time to make America great again! And we have to do it at the individual levels. We have to make sure that our fundamental rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights and the American Constitution that our forefathers created are not taken away, eroded, diminished. This is your wake up call, America! You have enjoyed so many years of freedom, not knowing the suffering, the sacrifices, the lives given so you may enjoy those rights. You have taken them for granted, this peace, these rights, these living conditions… With Trump in office, now is the time to take up the dusty mantles our forbears have left for us and fight. Fight! Fight! Fight!

Fight for the rights of the future!

Fight for those who cannot fight!

Fight for the rights of all of US!

Fight!!! Because it’s our turn!

Teach your children to fight for their rights! It’s not too early to start. It’s not too late either! Start now, start tonight!

Do not be afraid, America! Do not fear! Face the future with a bright smile and to have courage! We are Americans! We are resilient people! We will not fail the promise we have given to uphold the lofty ideals of the American Constitution and Bill of Rights!

As thanks to those that went before us, we will not allow the privileges fought for to be lost. Not during this administration, not ever…

I think the Christian side of me
Is warring with the Buddhist side of me
And even in that sector
Zen and Tibet does not communicate
At least the Muslim side is quiet
For it is praying towards the east
And my Hindi side went home
The Jewish side has not spoken
To my Greek Orthodox side yet
And if all things are considered
The Druids have gone
and taken me the druid way
Into the foothills of my youthful worship
Of Greek and Roman Bacchanalia
And out into Faerie we had landed
Next to Thor’s Hammer and Odin’s Eye.
Had I mentioned the Shinto side yet?
It resides with Chado and Tao Te Ching
Though the Art of War was more instructive
To my desire to be constructive
I haven’t recovered from the warring state left
By my Confucian side.
I’m ready to throw it out!
Totally confusin’!
And the extremist side of my Christianity
Comes head to head with my heart…

If only Muhammad had talked to Buddha
And memoed Jesus or even Facebooked them
My real self would be peaceful here.
But no!

I’m packing my bags for the universe
And getting off on a star
And if Kunlun is anywhere near
I’ll see Lono and Kane there somewhere
Lyr should follow and Oberon, too.
Cerridwen, Athena, and Kim Junsu…
What?
I need Dracula and Hades
And shinigami Death
For only he levels the playing field…
Religions and everything bows
At his relentless, inevitable pursuit.
They all lie prostrate at his feet
Bargaining, begging for more time.
If there was ever a one truthful god
It is he that reigns over the end of it all…

Ah! Death and all his comrades
Ride on!!!!
We are stuck playing charades.

I was asked to interpret for a client a few days ago. My profile at work has it that I was fluent in the Philippine language. I have other languages that I know, but they are not considered my proficient ones. So we go to the client’s house. The client’s granddaughter came. She is third generation born here. Fully American in thought and language. Grandma, the client, was at the hospital. I thought to ask, since it would be helpful, if Grandma spoke Tagalog – the ubiquitous Philippine language that everyone knew of. However, Grandma didn’t. She spoke Ilongo.
I have met people who spoke Visayan and not a lick of Tagalog. I have met Ilocanos who could not speak Tagalog one whit. But at least, they spoke some English. Ilongo, I have not countered yet.
This is apparently a little known fact about the Philippines. That there are so many dialects and languages that sometimes communication is difficult. Tagalog is the language of Manilenos. People who are living in Manila. Tagalog is taught throughout the entire country’s school system along with English, that is, if you are able to afford school. But the older generation of Filipinos in America sometimes require some interpretation skills beyond just Tagalog.
The country had too many tribes with their own influences and cultural mores. The Ilocanos, to which, thankfully, my own family has relations, are more influenced by Malay tongue. Their words are closer to Indonesian than the heavily Spanish influenced Tagalog. Tagalog is infused in Visayan so I can understand some of that dialect and infer some of the lost words. I learned some Gaddang, but not enough to converse. I only know “Mallabbat Kepay!” which means “It’s freezing cold!”
Even among the Ilocanos, there are those that ‘sing’ the language. Their lilting sing song voices, soft and gentle. The Ilocano I know is hard and drops like hail. It’s like Mexican Spanish to Spain Spanish, if you get what I mean. Tagalog, on the other hand, is smooth, even. Visayan, is a little of both. Sometimes, though, I have this feeling that it’s a bit…unrefined. There is a certain brashness to Visayan. Tagalog, for the most part, is polite. Well, there is a certain diction that render it an air of politeness. It seems to me, that when Visayans speak, the politeness is discarded. I’m sure there are more dialects than these. We have the Itnegs, Ibanags, Kapangpangan, Negritos, Tauseg, Igorots… Let me stop there.
Which brings me to the point of this rant. Just because they are Filipino does not mean they all speak the same tongue. It’s probably good to know which one they speak. Ask next time! They might surprise you.
Now then, when someone asks you, “Do you speak Pilipino?” You can counter, “Yes, which dialect do you speak?”

I just came in from reading a thread somewhere in this huge place called the internet. The focus was on how obvious Jung Yunho (of TVXQ fame) was at being gay. The debate was whether he shows obvious signs. People were saying he is flamboyant, etc. His name is linked to G-Dragon and others. And of course, there’s Kim Jaejoong. The thread went on to talk about the obviousness of a lot of KPop artists being gay or lesbian.

I have not ever seen evidence of any obvious gayness when it comes to Jung Yunho. What I have seen is his obvious affection for Kim Jaejoong. Kim Jaejoong’s personality seems to invite protection from someone stronger. Although he seems plenty strong. (All those muscles!) Nothing about Kim Jaejoong’s actions seem obviously gay to me either.

The problem really isn’t about being obvious. It is the stereotypical way that people perceive what are gay and lesbian attitudes. Not all people who like men are effeminate. Not all people who like women are all masculine. In the world of KPop, can we be sure? We really shouldn’t look at people like Jung Yunho (who shows affection for the male of the species) and label him gay because nothing about Jung Yunho screams GAY. When he was with Kim Jaejoong, he looked like a man looking at the object of his affection. And coincidentally, when Kim Jaejoong was with Jung Yunho, he looked like a boy absorbed in the wonder of another human being’s obvious affection for him. We all get like that, no matter what label we put on ourselves. We bask in the glory of other people’s affections and attentions. I’m sure I look a bit like Jung Yunho when I look at Jaejoongie’s smiling face. And no one has said I was/am gay.

They do not have to be gay to like each other!

***The photos on this post does not belong to me. It is the photographers’ photo I copied from the internet.

It all began with Facebook. One friend posted what translates to “Why are there so many bigoted Filipinos?” That’s an entirely huge other question and more detailed answers. However, one of his friends posted stuff which translates to “…here (in the US) male can marry male, female can marry female…” There were more, but the other laments are different social issues this post will not reference. The person made it seem as if the social ills of this society had somehow stemmed from that. I think my grandstand at that time should be shared here. And as I said there, I’m sure to catch flack for this, but it’s an issue close to my heart.
My response was that I believe that a person should be able to love another person and manifest it in marriage if that’s what they want. Gender doesn’t matter when the soul is genderless in the first place. And I hope that when my soul finds its mate here in this lifetime, I would be able to love that person, regardless of gender and be able to express this love.Love is love. All the “rules” that govern it, I think, are cultural biases. Now, don’t quote me and say well there are people who likes kids… okay… I’m talking about consenting adults. 18 and over. Taking advantage of others is not love in my book.
I have to point out that if you truly love your fellow man or woman, why would you point at him with a black tarred brush and say “Unclean. Unworthy. Undeserving. Be a slave. Be nothing. Be hated. Be ostracized. God doesn’t recognize you. He made you, but doesn’t recognize you.”? I sincerely doubt this is the case. If a gay friend of mine comes to me from having been beaten up (he’s pretty strong, but there were more than one) because of where his heart lies and asks me in tears why God made him this way…and is he so undeserving of respect as a human being…and shouldn’t it be better if he’d have died instead of going through this misery? What should I say?
I do not believe in a God who would condemn that beautiful soul to such agony. My beliefs have to change. I believe that the soul is genderless in the first place. And when we shake off this mortal coil and leave this body to the dust, the soul will return to its genderless state. It won’t matter then if we’re male or female, why does it matter so much now?